Heather Singmaster, director at the Center for Global Education at Asia Society, curates this group blog in which education leaders discuss global competence based on best practices from around the world.
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Civics Education: More Necessary than Ever

By Guest Blogger on
November 7, 2016 9:00 AM

Tomorrow is the election (finally!). This election cycle has made it more evident than ever that we need to ensure our students have a firm grounding in civics to be responsible, knowledgeable citizens. Education Secretary John B. King recently called for a, "broader definition of civic duty.... I ask teachers and principals and superintendents to help your students learn to be problem solvers who can grapple with challenging issues, such as how to improve their schools, homelessness, air and water pollution, or the tensions between police and communities of color." In this spirit, Heather Loewecke, Senior Program Manager, Global Learning Beyond School, Asia Society, shares her thoughts on the benefits of civics education for raising global citizens and provides classrooms resources and strategies.

The recent influx of immigrants from around the world has led to unprecedented diversity in the United States at the same time that democracy is advancing around the world. The globalization of the workforce, a need to solve transnational issues, and technological advances have required that educators reconsider what it takes to promote the goals of democracy while developing students to be college- and career-ready and productive members of society in this changing landscape. In order to promote civic engagement and global consciousness, young people need a foundation in the history, values, and politics of the American democratic tradition and an understanding of how it fits into the global context.

Different arguments prevail for these mixed results: A singular focus on basic skills and standardized test preparation has left little time and resources for the study of civics and related topics. While teachers believe that civics education is important, there is little agreement on what should be prioritized or taught. Civics professional development for teachers is limited given competing priorities. And some educators are concerned that any discussion of politics will be viewed by parents or the media as partisan indoctrination. Many young adults feel disengaged from government, either distrustful of authority figures and those in office or questioning if their votes actually make an impact. Many believe they don't know enough about the issues to have a qualified vote.

Then there is the "civic empowerment gap": white, college-bound youth attending mid-to high socio-economic schools have more access to civic learning opportunities than peers who are low-income, non-college bound, or students of color. Many young adults who did not attend college believe they lack institutional opportunities to address large-scale social issues.

Benefits of Civic Education

There are several reported benefits of civics education:

College and career readiness. Youth exposed to service learning through civics courses are more likely to go to college than those who were not. Additionally, high-quality civics activities foster the collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills in demand by employers.

Civic knowledge attainment. Youth receiving high-quality civics education have more confidence in their ability to make informed political decisions, increased knowledge about history and how to register to vote, increased ethical awareness and empathy, and a positive belief that their vote matters. Some parents' political knowledge also increased as a result.

What's Being Done?

In late 2002, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) and Carnegie Corporation of New York, in consultation with the Corporation for National and Community Service, convened a series of meetings with scholars and practitioners to determine the components of effective and feasible civic education programs, resulting in the manifesto "The Civic Mission of Schools." The Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools was born. In 2011, the report was revised with evidence to support the Campaign's Six Proven Practices for Effective Civic Learning. These practices include:

Discussion of Current Events and Controversial Issues: Schools should incorporate discussion of current local, national, and international issues and events into the classroom, particularly those that young people view as important to their lives.

Service Learning: Schools should design and implement programs that provide students with the opportunity to apply what they learn through performing community service that is linked to the formal curriculum and classroom instruction.

Extracurricular Activities: Schools should offer opportunities for young people to get involved in their schools or communities outside of the classroom.

School Governance: Schools should encourage student participation in school governance.

Simulations of Democratic Processes: Schools should encourage students to participate in simulations of democratic processes and procedures.

In 2012, the US Department of Education released "Advancing Civic Learning and Engagement in Democracy," a call to action to reinvigorate civic learning and engagement for youth, families, communities, and leaders across education, government, business, and philanthropy.

In 2013, the National Council for the Social Studies published the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. This framework aligns with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies. It is meant to guide states as they revise their own standards and policies and to help practitioners create a more robust and rigorous social studies curriculum that promotes the development of 21st century skills and active civic engagement in youth. At least eight states have used the C3 framework to revise their social studies standards.

Florida and Illinois have passed the most rigorous laws to date. Florida requires civic education throughout students' K-12 education, beginning with an integration into ELA classes, followed by a middle school civics course with an exam that counts for 30 percent of the course grade and impacts teacher evaluation and a school's performance rating. Illinois requires all youth take a civics course aligned with the revised social studies standards and focused on several of the "Six Proven Practices" noted above, such as service learning, simulations of democratic processes, and deliberation about current issues.

While all but four states require civics education for high school graduation, only 21 have a civics or government assessment. The Civics Education Initiative advocates for high school students to pass the United States citizenship exam in order to graduate. Arizona was the first state in the nation to make passing this test a graduation requirement. Several other states have followed suit or have similar pending legislation. Proponents argue that "what gets tested gets taught" and that this assessment at least promotes the teaching of basic historical and government knowledge. Critics argue that another high-stakes test in the era of standardized testing will squelch the interest in, and desire for, civics education by both teachers and students. Additionally, critics suggest that if the primary purpose of civic education is to promote not only informed, but also active, citizenship, then the focus should be on providing youth with regular opportunities to discuss social and political issues and to identify and address civic problems.

Arguably, testing does provide a limited view of youth civic competencies. Civic education should entail more than rote learning about the US Constitution or government. It should also include hands-on, community- and issue-based experiential learning that promotes informed and ethical decision-making; develops a sense of agency, social responsibility, and the ability to act on issues of local and global significance; and creates civic dispositions such as civility, tolerance, respect, compromise, toleration of diversity, personal efficacy, and concern for the welfare of others. According to the Stanford Center on Adolescence and the Center for Multicultural Education, "Increasing the priority given to educating for global understanding and concern should go hand in hand with strengthening education for US citizenship and civic engagement. Instead of standing in opposition to each other, the two goals represent complementary aspects of a single, larger picture. A complete civic education is one that produces graduates who understand the political systems of the United States, who feel a commitment to its national ideals, but who also respect and feel connected to people living in other societies around the world."

Explore the three branches of the government, their roles, and the balance of power. Do a role play to explore how the three branches of the school or program (educators, principal/director, students) interact and balance powers to accomplish their goals.

Elections

Explore the electoral process in local, state, and federal elections. Discuss the role of the electoral college and the use of primaries and caucuses for selecting presidential candidates. Study how a presidential candidate can win without winning the popular vote and debate whether the electoral college is still needed.

Study suffrage, voting requirements, voter districts, and the history of voter access and rights. Debate whether or not the voting age should be lowered to include more youth. Debate whether current voting districting processes and voter laws are constitutional.

Study candidates' campaign platforms and the relevant issues in current elections, such as immigration, trade, or equal rights. Youth can act as campaign advisors by writing, or rewriting, candidates' key platform messages so that they resonate with different constituencies. Or, youth can create a graphic or website to help peers understand where the candidates stand on the issues. Students can also debate the issues as if they were the candidates while peers create questions and explore the role of a debate moderator. Or, students can write a political cartoon on a candidate's position.

Review candidates' campaign strategies (ads, slogans, branding, use of social media, and speech content) during the election process. Debate what worked and what did not. Have youth act as the campaign manager for a local, state, or federal candidate and create a media campaign. Or, youth can write and deliver political speeches on key issues.

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